Bottle washer



Feb. 14, 1933.

F4 B. HOR'TON BOTTLE WASHER A TTORNEY'.

Feb. 14, 1933. F- B. Hom-ON 12897,()52

BOTTLE WASHER Filed Aug. 3, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.' an/r //a/ond BY A TToIgNEYs.

Patented Feb. 14, 1933 PATENT OFFICE FRANK B. HORTON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA BOTTLE WASHER Application led August 3, 1931.

This invention has relation to a device for use in bottling works for the purpose of cleaninff milk bottles, or any other type of similar glass containers.

The general object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive machine of the character referred to, capable of operation by one person and to be movable on the licor from place to place by the same operator for the purpose of serving any part of the plant Where its use may be required. A furtherv ob ject is to provide a bottle Washing machine capable of quick and simple adjustment to clean bottles of various sizes.

A device illustrative of the invention is fully set forth in the following description and outlined in the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a structure em bodying the invention with parts broken away for the sake of clearness,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing the bottle. feeding mechanism of the device, and

Fig. 3 is a. fragmentary cross sectional vieu7 illustrating means of feeding bottles into the machine.

ln order that the device of my invention may be readily moved from place to place, it is shown mounted on a Wheel-truck 1 of any suitable, Well-known construction. On the truck is shown mounted an electric motor 2 Which, through speed reducing gears 3, is connected to rotate a shaft fl. The latter is, through the medium of a pitman 5 and a link G, shown connected to oscillate a beam 7, which in turn is mounted to rock on a stubshaft 8 and the latter is journaled in a suitable support 23 of th machine frame. A spiral gear 9 is loosely hung on the shaft 8 in engagement Wit-h a similar gear 10 of a spline-shaft 11, the latter supports a bevelgear 12 for engagement With a second bevelgear 13 of a stub-shaft A chuck 15 is, by a universal joint 16, connected to be rotated Serial No. 554,647. y

through thel medium of the aforesaid gears.

This chuck is shaped to receive the stem 17 of a brush 18.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the motor is connected to oscillate the beam 7, thereby lowering the brush 18 into a bottle 19. To the shaft l is fastened a sprocketwheel 20 which, through a chain 21, is connected te rotate a sprocket 22, Which latter in turn is fastened to the spiral gear 9. Due to these connections, it is seen that' the brush 18 is caused to rotate during the oscillations of the supporting beam 7.

The bottle 19 is shown resting on a disk 25, which is slidable Within a cylinder 26 and supported in elevated position by a spring 27. In its uppermost position, the end of the stem 17 and brush 18 are shown to take'a place directly above the mouth of the bottle. In its descent, the stem and brush quickly reach the bottom of the bottle, whereupon the stem commences to force the bottle downward against the tension of the spring 27 until the beam 7 reaches the end of its upward movement. The cylinder 26 is shown mounted Within a tank 28 and this tank contains a suitable cleaning medium, which is free to iiovv intothe cylinder 26 through an opening 29, or in any other suitable manner, for the purpose of cleaning the outside of the bottle While it sinks into and rises out of the cylinder.

The cylinder is, through the medium of intermediate gears 30, 31, 32, 33, and sprocket gearing 34e, connected to be continuously rotated by the motor at comparatively high speed. This causes the liquid Within the cylinder to churn, thereby insuring effective and complete cleaning of the bottle exterior. From a tank 35, conveniently located Within the plant, a flexible hose 36 may be carried to a. fined nozzle 37, through which a stream of cleaning fluid is constantly directed into the mouth of the bottle. Whatever fluid is Wasted, drains into the tank 28 and serves to replenish the cleaning medium in this tank,

'.Which votherwise quicklyV becomes polluted,

ally Vattached to the beam 7 at 42, the other.'`

end kof the vrod'being shown` journaled at V43 n kto a bottle locator 44. Each'timethe beam' 7 1 is VoscillatedV vertically, 'this movement is, by

the connections ust y mentioned', translated into a horizontalreciprocationlof thelocatorv 144 forthepurpose'Qffrushing-sacaban@as!.

V 'fservelthel Yright tol-make such structuralV it is delivered, bygravity into the machine through the' openbottomi o'f the slidebefore.

nextfollowlngbottle to slide into position or,

betweenv resilient` lingers vand 4673,.whichv yieldingly aline each bottle with the clean# ing brush 18. .It is vreadily seenlfthat each oncoming vfc`bottle, While it. is 4being pushed ,into position the locator,serves to push the preceding bottles forward step byV step untileach vrbottle reaches an abrupt incline 47. The bottle now slides down this incline into a rinsing tank ,'48, during lwhich `movement Ait is caused .to topple over and waste its contents The 'timi'ng fffthe locator- Vis;important.'

Itisynecessar to p l n Y l devicezinqor er to aiford@ the bottle'tim'e to pass into an intwo parts Z44and 49` combining these Vparts 'c means ofaplate 50,' whichisfastened to fone `Y part and perforated lto afford the other its; stroke,

'Y fa part-limited, lengthwise movement. 40.

' part y continually-and that there is a'suflicient dwell It is readily seen that, athis manner", uit 44" is Caused to. traverback anagforth inthe movement of the partf49 at each end of intothe place of the bottlewhich has j ustl been cleane`d.`Avv Y f H As above' stated,the device, to'b'e commer-. fcially practical', must be adjustableto bottles Such bottles 'are' indicated of various. sizes. Y A. n by the'numeralsA 55v and 56 and they are, along chutes-57 and 58, directed into proper posi-g tion within-the machine. For use in connec-4 v tion-with-each sizeof bottlecprovidea corresponding 'cylinder 59y #and '60 fwhich,

throuvh the medium `.of `suitable gears, .are

connected to bel rotated Vin thermanner the cylinder 2S is moved. ".,Exceptl for size` these cylinders may be constructed Vexactly/'like the former.' It isnot'necessary,fhowever, to provide an individual cleaningbrushffori each Size'bottle `as thechuck 16, 'carrying with it the gears .12 andl, may readily be moved along theV slide Shaft 11'- for :alinement with thesize of bottle lrequiredto be cleaned.` The chuck'andfits driving gears thenconvenelay theV movement of .this

d tout off the cylinder during the. cleaning operation. #This timing'may be affected in ffvarious ways, the 'simple Ymeans here fshown consisting in `-*making Athe locator to permit aV newlbottle-'to 'slide .ently be clamped-into positionnon the beam.v i

by means ofa screw orvholt V61. lt isalso nec- Vessary to adjust the lposition of theibiottle locator, and this mayreadilybe accomplished f.

by making the locator push rod 4l slidable in the support armo?) and .to hold the rod rigid- 1 Y ing screw 64.

.The foregoing description:` should.. be suflicient to enable those versed in the art to construct a washing machine 'embodying the invention insuch compact rn'anj'ierthat it may be'mountable-fon an ordinary?floor-truck; l'.

do'- not, however,-mean toy confine myself" to the particular construction shown,l butV rely in adjusted pcsit-ion by means lof aclamp-v i changes-as will: tend'to'cheapen andimprove j the construction of the device, so long as Il remain Vvvithin the=-scope l. of the following claims. l Vl/Vhile n' any type of cleaiiingibrushI may-be used, itis preferred -tole'mp'loy A'a brush vof,

c tightly: andk would' 'l have 'a tendency l to lift the v`bottle from its support,permitting the at leastf'causing acollision which wouldl be certain'to result in theV breakage of -oneor more bottles-- In order to prevent such dam age, l providea stripperl frame 70, ywhich is made with.perforations llarge enough to adn mitvthe brush, but smallfenough to prevent movement of the bottlef The support 71 for thenozzle'37 may conveniently be mounted on drawings.

I claim: 'iV

tank cover, a lever mounted for vertical oscillationabove the tank, cleaningpmeans pivotally 'suspended from 'said' lever and positioned directly above said kbottle supporting `means,` means for oscillatingv thelever to thisv stripper, substantially las shown A in the I cause said'cleaning means to enter a bottle on said supporting meansfand to depress the.

bottle and its yielding support into the tank, and means 'connected for operation bysaid lever intermittently toiadvance bottles toy po i sition on said support in line with said cleaning means.l f

2. VIna bottle'washing'machine, a covered tank, bottle supporting'means in 'said tank andfyieldingly-held elevated.y flush with thc lation above'thetank,.cleaning means pivot,-

tione'd meafls cause said cleaning means to enter a bottle on portvintojs'aid tankuand l'siinultar'ie'ously.to ro- AVtank cover, alever mounted-for vertical oscil: f

'said support-,to depress the bottle and sup 'V linserita tate the cleaning means, and means connected for operation by said lever` intermittently to advance bottles to position on the support in line with said cleaning means.

3. In a bot-tle Washer, a. covered tank tor a cleaning liquid, a bottle support in said tank yieldingly held elevated flush With the tank cover, a lever mounted for vertical oscillation above the tank, cleaning means held pivotally suspended trom said lever directly above said support, a prime mover connected to oscillate the lever to cause said cleaning means to enter a bottle on said support and to depress the bottle and its yielding` support into the liquid of the'tank, a cylindrical shell mounted in the tank to encompass said support and operatively connected to be rot-ated by said prime mover, and means operatively connected with said lever to advance bottles to the support as the lever reaches its uppermost position.

4. In a bottle Washer, a. tank, a lever mounted on said tank, a cleaning member held pivotally suspended from said lever, a bottle support resiliently supported in the tank directly below said member, means tor oscillating the lever vertically to lower said member into a bottle on said support and to depress the bottle and support into the tank, means to limit the return movement of the bottle, and means to push a new bottle on to said support at the end ot each lever oscillation.

5. In a bottle Washer, a covered tank, a lever mounted for vertical oscillation above said tank, a bottle support mounted in tho tank and yieldingly held elevated in line Wit-h the tank cover, a cleaning member held pivotally suspended from said lever above said support, means for oscillating the lever to cause said cleaning member to enter a bottle on said support, to depress the bottle and support into the tank and simultaneously to rot-ate the member, means for agitating a cleaning liquid surrounding` the descending and rising bottle, means for directing cleaning liquid against the cleaning member, and means for advancing the bottle from its support at the end ot the cleaning operation.

G. In a bottle Washing machine, a tank, a lever mounted to oscillate above said tank, a prime mover, a cleaning member held pivotally suspended from said lever and connected for rotation by said prime mover, a cylindrical shell in the tank directly below said cleaning member and connected to be rotated by the prime mover in the opposite direction with respect to the member, a bottle support Within said shell yieldingly held elevated in line With the top ot the tank, connections from the prime mover to oscillate said lever vertically and thereby to cause the cleaning member to enter a bott-le on said support and to depress the bottle and support into the tank, a bottle locator, and connections for Amoving said locator at the end of each'lever oscillation to advance Va bottle to a position of registration with said support.

7. In abottle Washer, a covered tank, a shell mounted in the tank, abottle support Within the shell and yieldingly held elevated flush with the tank cover, a. cleaning member mountable for vertical reciprocation above said tank in line Wit i said shell and support, means for reciprocating said member to cause it to sink into a bottle on saidsupport and to depress the bottle and support into the tank, means for rotating the shell and the said cleaning member in opposite directions, and means for advancing a bottle to a position of registration With said support at the end of each reciprocation.

8. In a bottle Washing machine adjustable to clean bottles ot various sizes, a series of yielding supports corresponding in size to the bottles to be cleaned, a lever mounted for vertical oscillations above said supports, a cleaning member freely suspended from said lever and adjustably mounted on the lever to register With any one ot said supports, means for oscillating said lever, means for simultaneously rotating said member and the said supports, and means for advancing bottles through the machin-e, said means being adjustable to register with Whichever support is to be used.

9. In a bottle Washing machine, a tank, a series of rotatable supports for bottles of different sizes mounted in said tank, a cleaning member mounted above said tank for vertical reciprocation above said supports and adjustable to register With any one of the supports, means for reciprocating said member to enter a bottle on one of the supports and to depress the bottle and support into a cleaning liquid of said tank, means for rotating the member, means for directing a flow of cleaning liquid toward a bottle on anv one ot the supports, and means for positioning bottles on the support selected.

l0. In a bottle Washer, a covered tank, yielding means mounted in the tank flush with its cover for supporting bottles of dit- Jferent sizes, a stripper mounted above the tank for preventing bottles to rise from the supports, a cleaning member mounted above said tank and adjustable to register With any one ot said supports, means tor vertically reciprocating said member to enter a bottle on its support and to depress the bottle and support into cleaning liquid of said tank against the tension of the support, and means tor advancing a new bottle along the tank cover to a position of registration With a support at the end of each reciprocation, said* means being adjustable to register with any one of the supports.

ll. In a bottle Washer, a covered tank, a series of bottle supports yieldingly mounted in said tank Hush with the tank cover for 

